Our new weekend “hobby” is visiting area record stores and searching for CDs and vinyl that’s hard to find – mainly old Broadway shows (no jokes please). Here are a few choice finds we either bought or burned from vinyl in 2007.
- Cheesy 60’s music in Broadway shows was a 2007 theme for us. We bought Canterbury Tales (1968 London and 1969 Broadway), Tom Jones (1964), and It’s A Bird, It’s A Plane, It’s Superman! (1966). The songs are so dated and frankly, bad. Canterbury Tales were great finds – the London vinyl and Broadway CDs are both pretty rare. And yes, they made a Broadway musical about Superman. It’s by Charles Strouse, who did Annie and Bye Bye Birdie. Linda Lavin (TV’s Alice) is in it and has two great songs. Another song is called “Pow! Bam! Zonk!”
- Do Re Mi (1961). By Styne, Comden and Green and starring Phil Silvers and Nancy Walker. Not my favorite show at all, but it’s really cool since it’s the original vinyl has a cut-out front cover with a neon red insert.
- Goldilocks (1958). Only because of Elaine Stritch singing “Give the Little Lady a Great Big Hand,” which is a great song.
- Mame (1974). Movie cast - Lucille Ball CANNOT sing!
- Mayor, the Musical (1985) Again by Charles Strouse. It’s about NYC’s Ed Koch. Sample songs: Hootspa, March of the Yuppies.
- Mr. President (1962) By Irving Berlin, starring Nanette Fabray. Really good songs, and some cheesy 60s songs too like “The Wasthington Twist,” which is a twist. Another fun song: The President’s daughter sings about the Secret Service (“The Secret Service, makes me nervous. When I am dating, they are waiting, to observe us …”).
- A Star is Born (1976). Not rare or anything, and we are NOT Barbra fans, but it brings back memories from my childhood (I was 8, but I liked this movie). Especially “Queen Bee” and “I Believe In Love.” I could do without Kris Kristofferson trying to sing, though.
- The Ethel Merman Disco Album (1979). Enough said.
I also still buy a lot of non-Broadway (non-gay) stuff, BTW. Stuff I got in 2007 that I highly recommend The Editors, Jill Cuniff, The Bird and the Bee, The Bravery, VHS or Beta, Blonde Redhead, Hellogoodbye, Tracey Thorn, Tahiti 80, Paul Weller, and Morningwood.
